Reborn as King of South America

Chapter 95 The War is Underway

Adolfo dared to launch a coup, so he naturally anticipated the revenge that Melgarejo might take. Therefore, during the eight days when he successfully controlled Sucre, Adolfo increased the number of troops defending the city while constantly dividing and disintegrating the powerful generals under Melgarejo.

Sucre is the legal capital of Bolivia. The families of Melgarejo and his men all lived in the city. After the coup succeeded, Adolfo did not liquidate them. Instead, he protected them and used them to get in touch with other warlords in Bolivia.

Adolfo's method worked well. After the news of Sucre's fall spread, most of the warlords who had defected to Melgarejo felt uneasy. They were worried that their families in the city would be harmed by the chaotic army, and they were also afraid that they would stand on the wrong side between Melgarejo and Adolfo and be retaliated by the victorious side.

Just when they were at a loss as to how to make a decision, Adolf's messenger came to inform them of the news and reassure them that as long as they did not help either side in the dispute, their status and the safety of their families would be guaranteed.

The conditions proposed by Adolfo were very reasonable, because Adolfo understood that Melgarejo had been the President of Bolivia for three years and had established initial prestige in the country. Those powerful generals who had benefited from Melgarejo would find it difficult to make up their minds to follow him to fight against Melgarejo before the situation became clear. Therefore, he lowered the conditions by half in order to stabilize those warlords who were watching the situation and prevent them from helping either side in the upcoming battle of Sucre.

The conditions proposed by Adolfo coincided with the ideas of the warlords who escaped from La Paz. They had already lost a lot of troops in the defense of La Paz, and it would not be cost-effective for them to use the remaining troops to fight Adolfo to the death. The arrival of Adolfo's messenger provided them with a good excuse not to participate in this civil war.

Therefore, after ensuring that their status remained unchanged and their families were safe, the Bolivian warlords who fled back to their respective bases announced one after another that the battle between Melgarejo and Adao was a private fight caused by political differences. In order to stabilize the situation in Bolivia and prevent the scale of the war from expanding, they decided to remain neutral in the war until the two sides decided the winner.

A group of powerful local warlords said that they were concerned about the stability of Bolivia, but secretly took advantage of the chaotic situation in the country to secretly expand their soldiers. As for sending troops to resist the Chinese Independence Army, no one did it.

The Chinese Independence Army clashed with Melgarejo during their passage through Bolivia. Although they have now occupied La Paz, they will not stay in Bolivia forever and will leave soon. Therefore, the Bolivian warlords, who had suffered a loss, selectively ignored the existence of the Chinese Independence Army and focused their attention on the Battle of Sucre.

Sucre, one of the two most important cities in Bolivia, has once again become the focus of gathering forces from all sides.

Outside the city, groups of soldiers, under the supervision of their superiors from various departments, continuously launched attacks on the city.

The sounds of cannons, gunfire, and soldiers shouting filled the smoke of war. Rows of soldiers charging forward fell halfway, and the soldiers behind them continued forward, stepping on the bodies of their comrades. The battle entered a white-hot stage as soon as it began.

After the Chinese Independence Army breaks through La Paz, they will definitely send troops to pursue Melgarejo after they have recovered their breath. Therefore, time becomes the most critical factor in determining this battle. Only by breaking through Sucre before the Chinese troops arrive will Melgarejo have the capital to negotiate with the Chinese Independence Army. Otherwise, how can a defeated dog negotiate with others?

The intensity of the battle was beyond Adolfo's expectations. He did not expect that even after Sucre was captured, Melgarejo's soldiers would still work so hard for him.

Adolfo had more seniority in the army than Melgarejo, but after Bolivia's independence, the older generation of military generals gradually withdrew from the front line of the army, and their understanding of the army remained at the previous stage. Therefore, Adolfo was not aware of Melgarejo's influence in the army.

It is true that Melgarejo was a brutal ruler, but he was also an excellent military commander. After he successfully seized power and ascended to the presidency, he did not relax his control over the army. Instead, he used his power as president to promote his trusted officers to key positions. At the same time, he increased the pay and benefits of ordinary soldiers, making his direct troops, both officers and soldiers, loyal to Melgarejo.

There were 5,400 defenders in Sucre, of which 2,000 were newly recruited young and strong men. The difference between 5,400 and 6,000 was not big. In addition to the advantages of being the defender, Adolfo believed that Sucre could withstand the attack of the enemy outside the city.

However, after half a day of fighting, Sucre's defense line was in danger of being shaken. More than 300 newly recruited soldiers could not bear the fierceness of the battle and withdrew from their defensive positions ahead of schedule, resulting in the loss of a high ground in front of the main gate. After Melgarejo's troops occupied the high ground of the main gate, they used the terrain advantage to continuously launch artillery bombardments on the defenders of the city wall, suppressing the defenders' attacks on the siege soldiers.

The impact of the loss of the main gate heights was more than that. Without the cover of the heights, the main gate was directly exposed to the attack of the siege troops.

Three-pound cannons, six-pound cannons, nine-pound cannons, Melgarejo allocated a large part of the large and small artillery in the army to bombard the main gate. One shell after another continuously bombarded the tall city gate.
"Bang, bang, bang!" accompanied by the roar of artillery shells, the iron-clad gate was hit with holes of varying sizes.
The vibrations caused by the artillery shells struck the nerves of the defenders behind the city gate.

"Sir, there is a crack in the gate."

"Top it up with logs immediately."

"Hurry up, move faster,"

The officer guarding the city gate loudly ordered his soldiers to reinforce the city gate.

The gate cracked more and more, and the soldiers working behind the gate felt more and more exhausted. "Go and tell the general, the enemy's artillery fire is fierce, and the gate position needs reinforcement urgently."

The city gate guard grabbed a soldier and shouted an order.

"Yes, sir."

The Bolivian soldier answered loudly, turned around and ran a few steps, but was suddenly hit by a shell that passed through the gate and died.

The artillery shells penetrated the gate, and the newly reinforced gate began to shake again. The defensive officer behind the gate sent out two soldiers to report the news, and immediately began to work more intensively to reinforce the gate.

The defenses of the city walls and gates began to waver. Adolf sent out the last reserve troop to support the troops at the city gates, leaving only a guard force of more than 130 people with him.

"Adolfo, when will the Chinese troops arrive? If they don't arrive tonight, Sucre will fall into Melgarejo's hands!"

The situation in defending the city deteriorated so rapidly that even Frias, who had advised Adolfo to launch a coup, became worried.

"I have received news from their messenger that the cavalry troops to reinforce us have set out first and are expected to arrive tonight."

Adolfo underestimated the strength of Melgarejo's troops and did not expect to encounter severe tests on the first day of defending the city. However, the Chinese troops' reinforcements arrived two days earlier than he expected. As long as they could hold on for another half a day, Sucre would be able to turn danger into safety.

Hearing that the Chinese reinforcements would arrive in Sucre at night, Frias felt a little relieved. But before he could be completely relieved, even worse news came.

"General, the 1st Battalion of the 3rd Regiment has rebelled under the instigation of Battalion Commander Adlai. They have now withdrawn from the city wall and are heading towards the main gate."

"What? Adlai rebelled!" Adolfo grabbed the officer who reported the news and said in disbelief.

"Yes, General. Adlai only pretended to join us, but secretly he was planning to open the city gates to seek credit from Melgarejo."

The officer who reported the incident was the deputy commander of the Third Regiment. He had some knowledge of Adlai's situation, so after Adlai rebelled, he came in person to report the news.

"Asshole, I really regret not killing him back then!"

Adlai was the first officer to come and join him, otherwise Adolfo would not have promoted him from company commander to battalion commander, and also handed over the original troops to him for command. He did not expect that the person he promoted would betray him at the critical moment. Adolfo felt like he was being played for a fool, and he felt angry and ashamed, and it was difficult for him to calm down for a while.

"The city gate is critical. The key now is to send reinforcements to the defenders of the city gate. Otherwise, if the city gate is lost, everything will be over."

Although Frias was not a soldier, he still had some common sense. When he heard the rebels rushing towards the city gate, he immediately spoke up.

"Heimepas, the guard troops are under your command. Support the defenders of the city gate immediately!" After being reminded by Frias, Adolfo made the decision immediately.

"Yes, General."

After receiving the order, the officer who reported the news quickly led the soldiers away.

(End of this chapter)